Multiple reports indicate that a group of travellers occupied a field in Sundridge, Kent, over the Easter weekend. The field had been sold at auction in September or October last year for £167,000. The travellers used diggers and machinery to convert the green space into a hardstand caravan site without planning permission. On Sunday, a static caravan loaded onto a lorry became wedged in a country lane in Sundridge, blocking the road until 4am Monday. One local, James Evans, was arrested for obstructing an officer or highway. Sevenoaks District Council issued a Temporary Stop Notice for the Sundridge site on Tuesday night.
In Flamstead, Hertfordshire, a group of travellers arrived on Thursday night or over the Easter weekend, driving machinery onto green belt land. The first caravans appeared at the site on Easter Sunday morning. The travellers laid concrete on the land, which is within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Dacorum Borough Council issued a temporary stop notice for the Flamstead site on Saturday. Hertfordshire Constabulary is investigating allegations including threatening behaviour, criminal damage, and illegal felling of trees. The police are also looking into reports that travellers wielded iron bars, damaged cars including a police car, and made violent threats.
A group of travellers moved into a field in Alford, Surrey, over the Easter weekend, transforming it into a site with caravans and static homes. Waverley Borough Council issued two 'stop notices' for the Alford site, but work continued. The travellers chose the Easter weekend for these moves because council offices were closed over the bank holiday, making authorities slower to react.
Residents in Sundridge accused police of 'aiding and abetting' the travellers. Travellers are exploiting planning laws by applying for retrospective planning permission after unauthorized development. Conservative MPs and the shadow education secretary are calling for a change in the law to prevent retrospective planning applications after flagrant breaches.